March 6, 2017 Newsletter Issue - 27

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1 Dragon Newsletter GETTING TO KNOW OUR STAFF: SUZANNE PIZZO Ms. Suzanne Pizzo teaches 7th grade reading and this is her first year at Seagoville Middle School. Ms. Pizzo comes from a lifelong appreciation of literature and the arts. After graduating from Ursuline Academy and the University of Texas at Dallas, she moved to London, England on a limited student visa that allowed her to work in Dublin, Ireland as well. Living outside the US has informed her worldview ever since and she still loves to travel, visiting Italy, Belgium France, Scotland, Wales, Canada as well as favorite US spots like New York City, San Francisco, Washington DC, Chicago, and Colorado. She is also a wife and mother. Her husband is a photographer for Neiman Marcus, and she has 2 teenage children in high school, Henry, 18 years old, and Josie-aged 17. In this screen saturated world, she believes that reading is the root of all human knowledge and that her role as a teacher is one of the most important one can have. Some of her favorite authors include Margaret Atwood, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sherwood Anderson. Suzanne Pizzo Reading 7 th Grade A Message from our Principal: We continue to make great strides toward our vision of becoming the Premier Middle School in the Dallas Independent School District. This past Saturday, I witnessed the passion and commitment of our teachers and how 91 students were so eager to participate in the extended instruction sessions. Thank you, teachers, for supporting our students in their efforts to succeed in the upcoming STAAR assessments. Let's make sure that we: Actively participate in our PLC sessions. Collaborate with our teams; we know that success in education is powered by effective teams and effective practices. Prepare and plan our lessons so that teaching is purposeful and we are able to maximize instructional time. Challenge students through academic rigor. Let s make students use reasoning beyond initial thinking. Let s ignite in them the desire to know more and apply new learning on real world situations. Assign homework regularly. Send homework that students really need instead of sending tons of homework. Let s continue to work on Compliance Commitment Excellence Get Ready, be strong Seagoville Strong! Let s Make it Happen! Let s Make It Happen!

2 1. Quality Instruction/Student Achievement. Implement High Quality and rigorous instruction to increase overall student academic achievement: ACPs to increase in 12% compared to spring 2016 (7% on fall of 2016 and 5% on spring of 2017). STAAR passing rate will reach at least 75% in all subject areas. STAAR Advanced Level II will increase in at least 5% compared to previous year in all subject areas 2. Continuous Improvement Process. Implement Data Analysis Systems and institute a culture of feedback that fosters a continuous improvement process in all areas. This section will permanently remain in our newsletter to remind our staff about our goals Through the use of data analysis and feedback, by June 2017, our teachers will reach a proficiency level of 2.0 in the SPOT Observations indicator 2.3: Lesson Delivery: Explains instructional content clearly and cohesively. Through the use of data analysis and feedback, by June 2017, our teachers will reach a proficiency level of 2.0 in the SPOT Observations indicator 2.4: Cognitive Demand: Engages students in appropriately challenging content. 3. Climate and Culture. Create an environment that is conducive to learning by developing a culture of compliance and commitment among students, personnel, and parents. At least 80% of our staff members will complete and submit the Climate and Culture Survey. The Climate and Culture Survey will consistently improve in all 4 indicators compared to the spring 2016 survey. The Culture of Feedback and Support category will show at least 60% of positive responses on spring of 2017 survey. The Positive Culture and Environment category will show at least 60% of positive responses on spring of 2017 survey. Who We Are Our Vision: Seagoville Middle School will be the premier middle school in the Dallas Independent School District. Our Mission: The Seagoville Middle School Community is committed to the development of scholars through a world class education by providing college and career ready skills in a nurturing, safe, and supportive environment. Our Motto: Be All You Can Be, Let s Make It Happen! Our Core Beliefs: We believe all students can learn and have academic success. Teamwork makes the dream work. Set and achieve high expectations We provide life skills and career skills Dedication to students inside and outside of classrooms Our Creed: Stop and think, do your share Make the right choices to show you care Show respect and courtesy, and never forget honesty We are here to excel, At Seagoville Middle University We do well.

3 We would like to congratulate the Seagoville MS LCC Drill Team for an outstanding performance at E.D. Walker Middle School Drill competition this past weekend, which resulted with: 1st place trophy for Armed Color Guard Cpt. Amariah Watson 1st place trophy for Unarmed Regulation Drill Cpt. Joany Juan 1st Place trophy Drill Knock-out SFC. Victor Corona 2nd place trophy Armed Regulation Drill CSM. Trinitie Everly 2nd place trophy Unarmed Inspection Cpt. Joany Juan 2nd place trophy Drill Knock-out SFC. Anabel Chavez 3rd place trophy Unarmed Exhibition drill. CPT. Jennifer Vazquez Our Fire-Breathing Dragons And congratulations to the other 32 LCC drill team members that attended and/or performed. Again, Congratulation for a job well done!

4 What s Going On at Seagoville Middle School Students in Mr. Clark s class participated created newspapers on events leading to a Federal Law Suit filed by Dred Scott against Dr. John Emerson s Widow. The students then participated in a gallery walk to gather information from the different articles created by other teams.

5 PIO-BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM Seagoville Middle School celebrated the Black History Month during the Parent Involvement Organization meeting. Cheerleading, Dance, Students Council and Band students delighted the audience with superb performances. Mr. Linwood our Master of Ceremony also sang the Black National Anthem.

6 THUMBS UP TO ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Our students have been participating in the after school and Saturday Academy to enhance and reinforce their skills in different subjects. Thumbs Up to Additional Support! Thank you to Ms. Effiom, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Warren, Ms. Hill,Ms. Taylor, Ms. Cortez, Mr. Watrson, Ms. Lewis, Ms. Hendrix, Ms. Pizzo, and Ms. Malone for being here this past Satruday supporting the Saturday Academy. In for the Outcome, not for the Income

7 Student exposure to college The AVID students went on a wonderful college field trip to see UNT campus in Denton on Wednesday! We saw the dorms, many academic buildings, admissions, and even ate at the buffet! The kids and chaperones had a great time! Thanks to Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Calvin, Mr. Bekerman (who took five of his sped students), Mrs. Mary Smith, and 4 parent volunteers for making this trip awesome! We had a great time, and he experience was great for our students!

8 Spanish and English Classes for Parents The Spanish and English classes for parents resumed this week with an increase in the enrollment numbers. This week we provided services to 60 parents. Seagoville Middle School teachers prepare basic English and Spanish lessons for this group of enthusiastic parents. Once again, thank you Ms. Becerril, Ms. Lopez, Ms. Benitez, Mr. Martinez, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Williams-Jordan for supporting this initiative for our SMS parents.

9 Parents who attended Spanish and English classes on Wednesday and Thursday received the benefit of child care. Ms. Kim Smith and Ms. Linda Williams-Jordan helped children with their homework and assigned tasks that kept the students occupied in productive activities.

10 The Power of Protocols Tina Ellis Triad Protocol Purpose: This protocol is useful for getting and giving feedback on work in progress such as revising curriculum, conducting assessments, or developing policies and processes. Setup: 1. Take 5 minutes to form small groups of 3. Pre-assigned grouping will help reduce time needed for this step. 2. In the triad, have participants determine who will be A, B, and C. (3-5 minutes total) Process: 1. ROUND 1: A is the presenter in round 1. This person describes an aspect of professional practice. 2. B is the discussant in round 1. This person listens and responds to what person A is saying with a comment, question, example, or detail that builds upon what person A is saying. 3. C is the observer in round 1. They listen quietly, saying nothing and taking notes. After A and B have talked, C summarizes what they have said, ads comes, and presents some conclusions. (12-15 minutes) 4. ROUND 2: Participants change roles so that each triad has a different A, B, and C. Participants perform their new roles as executed in Round 1. (12-15 minutes) 5. ROUND 3: Participants change roles such that each triad has a different A, B, and C. Participants perform their new roles as executed in Round 1. Each participant should be fulfilling the final role in the triad. (12-15 minutes) 6. Reflections and Debrief: Participants take time to reflect and debrief. Participants ask and answer questions during this time. (8-10 minutes) From School Reform Initiative; I Love My School Mary Pizzo This week s SMS role model student is Kylie Griffin, a 7th grader at Seagoville Middle School. She is the youngest of four children. She loves sports and participates in Cheer and Volleyball. She and her family like to go to the Galleria and shop, especially her favorite store- Pink. Kylie would like to take her love of fashion and turn it into a career. She wants to become a fashion photographer after attending college. For Kylie, the best part of school is seeing her friends and talking with her classmates.

11 Time to Teach Wayne Bollin The Negative Ripple Effect It is human nature to sympathize with the underdog, and our students are only human. When they witness any power struggle between teacher and classmates, they are very likely to side with the classmate, even when that classmate is guilty as charged, especially if the classmate appears to be losing. Never forget that when you take on one child, you are really taking on him (or her) along with twenty-eight of their classmates. Children are trustworthy. They will support one another, even if you are right. So what might begin as the exchange between teacher and student can quickly become an issue between a teacher and an entire class. Like ripples in a pond, negative energy has disturbed the placid surface of the learning environment and caused monumental frustration. We do not want to start those ripples. They do not vanish at the dry edges of the pond. They reverberate back and forth over a long period of time. The same holds for your classroom. Cumbersome Bookkeeping Systems Countless discipline systems require teachers to document student misbehavior. In some systems, the paperwork goes to the office, often in the form of a referral. In other systems, teachers keep track of how many warnings students have been given, in order to lower the boom at warning # (fill in the blank). Some teachers voluntarily document troubling incidents, especially in the case of problem students. The amount of time spent writing things up can be immense. How many teachers have despaired, Dealing with all this discipline leaves me with no time to teach! And yet common sense (and the school district attorney) tell us that misbehavior needs documentation. We need a way to document incidents in a minimum time. The Counselors Corner Latonya Calvin 3 Ways A School Counselors Can Help Students, Parents Academic support: Services for students who are struggling academically often go underused, I think sometimes students are embarrassed to ask for help or some students may have had a bad experience with a school counselor. Counselors can sit down with the student's teachers, for example or connect students with peers dealing with similar struggles so they can learn from one another. Group counseling offers content on establishing good study habits and patterns, which students can use throughout their academic careers. Parental counseling and support: Counselors can offer families strategies on parenting and helpful advice on how to connect with their children. "I've had a lot of parents come in that have said, I don't know what to do. How do I handle when my teenager is doing this, this and this at home? Sometimes I recommend family therapy if there are more serious issues at home but connecting with working parents can be a challenge. I recommend parents arrange a one-on-one appointment with their child's school counselor as a good first step in establishing the parent-school counselor relationship. Individual counseling: Students can seek one-on-one help from their school counselor to discuss personal issues, such as bullying, or seek crisis counseling. Sometimes there's a myth that we do therapy in schools and that's not true. School counselors are trained to be the front line in terms of assessing what the issues are in a child's life, but if they feel something more in-depth is going on they'll refer the student to a therapist. I inform my students upfront that their conversation is confidential unless the student divulges something that relates to his or her safety.

12 March 28 STAAR Writing 7 th Grade STAAR Math 8 th Grade March 29 STAAR Reading 8 th Grade STAAR Math 7 th Grade Pre-AP TESTING Looking Ahead March 06 After School Tutoring 06 TELPAS Window Opens 06 Admin Meeting 07 After School Tutoring 08 NTA Meeting 09 Counselors Community Fair Spring Break 20 After School Tutoring 21 Science/Math/ELA/Reading/SS PLC 21 After School Tutoring 22 Coffee With The Principal 22 NTA Meeting 22 Counselors Meeting 23 Faculty Meeting 25 Saturday School 27 Admin Meeting 28 STAAR 8 th Math / 7 th Writing 29 STAAR 7 th Pre AP Math 1 Seagoville Feeder Pattern Instructional Initiatives Increase student achievement in all core content areas by improving the quality of instruction. 2 Improve the quality of instruction through classroom observations and effective feedback. Progress monitor student achievement data to inform instructional decisions and teaching practices. 3